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The students’ voice since 1917
March 11, 2009
www.txwes.edu/rambler
Vol. 102, No. 8
Rosedale Revival
News Briefs Scene Shop The ground-breaking celebration for the Claudia Stepp Scene Shop will be held at 1:30 p.m. March 3 at the corner of Binkley Street and Ave. C. A reception will follow at the Louella Baker Martin Pavilion. All members of the Wesleyan community are invited to attend. RSVP to Scott Cannon (scannon@ txwes.edu) by March 13.
Coffee shop, bookstore to open
Photo by Gasten Schoonover
Self Defense Wesleyan Village will host a self-defense training March 27. A black belt and karate school owner will conduct the free class. For more information, contact Kelly Neace at kdneace@mail. txwes.edu.
Career Fair Career Services will hold its annual career fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 31 in the Sid Richardson Center. More than 30 businesses are signed up including sponsors Army, Texas Highway Patrol and Whitley Penn LLP. Career Services, on the second floor of the West Library, is available for more information, or for a complete list of committed employers, e-mail careerservices@txwes.edu.
Service Day The chaplain’s office is sponsoring ‘A Great Day of Service’ with CTCYM, Student Leadership Team and the Metro Board of Missions from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 4. The group will meet at Poly UMC for a breakfast and workshop before heading out with their smaller groups to handle special assignments serving the ministries of the Metro Board of Missions. To sign up, contact the chaplain’s office at (817) 531-4461 or e-mail gchilds@txwes. edu before March 13.
Rambler Spring Break The Rambler will be going on Spring Break with the rest of Wesleyan and will publish its next issue April 1.
Photo by Tiara Nugent
Wesleyan’s new coffee shop is named Java Joe’s months before its opening, and the new location for the Texas Wesleyan bookstore displays its sign weeks before the store moves. Both are now set to open after spring break, and both are part of revitalization partnerships between the public and private sectors.
The vision that drives renovation at the Rosedale corridor continues to light up the Wesleyan campus. The bookstore moves across Rosedale Street over spring break, and the new coffee shop in the Baker Building will celebrate its grand opening March 23. In November, local dignitaries including U.S. Reps. Michael Burgess and Kay Granger, State Rep. Marc Veasey and Mayor Pro Tem Kathleen Hicks joined University President Hal Jeffcoat in the Baker Building dedication. Burgess, a fervent local contributor, said that the changes we see are great examples of “what we can do locally with a little national participation.” On the same commemorative day, Jeffcoat unveiled plans for the future opening of a coffee shop on the north end of the building. Named in honor of Joe Brown, speech and theater professor, Java Joe’s is in the midst of a “soft” open and will open officially for business March 16. The shop honor’s Brown’s 30-plus year career at Wesleyan. The Coffee Spot at Java Joe’s offers a menu of coffees, tea, specialty drinks and desserts. The coffee bar is also Wi-Fi equipped for those who wish to remain connected during their visit. Poly Retail, TownSite Co.’s development in the 3000 and 3100 blocks of Rosedale across from campus, is also taking shape. The bookstore is relocating and is scheduled to open there after spring break. Follett, the bookstore operator, has leased 3,900 square feet for the new location, according to the Fort
See Openings, page 2
Next year’s tuition increase sign of the times
New rates, cutbacks a response to ‘unavoidable, major cost increases’ Rene’ Edwards STAFF WRITER
Tuition will increase $515 a semester for the 2009-2010 school year. The increase is needed to account for growing costs the university is accumulating, according to Bill Bliebdrey, senior vice president of finance and administration. This rate brings the block undergraduate tuition rate for full-time students taking 12 to 18 hours to $8,880, including the general and technology fees. Bleibdrey said cost increases, such as insurance and energy, are a few expenses that have risen significantly in the past few years. When costs rise, so does tuition. “We intentionally wanted to minimize our increase because of the general economic conditions,” said Bliebdrey. “We did this despite some unavoidable, major cost increases. As a result, we had to cut back in a number of areas in order to keep tuition affordable.”
According to the minutes from his presentation to Faculty Council, those cutbacks include the elimination of faculty raises, a cutback in faculty and staff retirement contributions, “selective” hiring, a slowdown in IT development and delay of any increased security expenditures. He said in his presentation that such deci-
“We also don’t want to generate excessive profits by charging too much. Students can expect annual tuition increases that will reflect our increasing costs of operations.” – Bill Bliebdrey Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration
sions were difficult but necessary during the current recession in order to keep university finances healthy. Institutions everywhere are experiencing similar adjustments.
A dish best served bold: Seth Nelson STAFF WRITER
A new item is being served on the Internet. An updated site for Wesleyan’s food services department can be found at http://www.campusdish.com/ en-US/CSSW/TexasWesleyan/. The site not only features the familiar sights such as dining locations and meal plans, but adds additional information, colorful pages and pictures, a Weather Channel forecast and more. “I think that it’s definitely a step in the right direction,” said Marques Hamilton, a senior mass communication major. Here are some of the things you can find on the site:
The cost of tuition is determined by a number of aspects, Bliebdrey said, such as the school’s costs, other local and national university tuition and what the university considers reasonable. University of North Texas and University of Texas at Arlington are approximately $7,400 a year full-time, according to their Web sites, but they are public institutions with enrollment of more than 30,000 students. Fees greatly increase the actual dollars students end up paying at public universities. Texas Wesleyan University’s enrollment is approximately 3,000 with tuition lower than other private institutions in the area. According to Texas Christian University’s Web site, full-time tuition is currently at $26,900 a year. Full-time tuition for Southern Methodist University, according to its Web site, is $35,160. Wesleyan’s new full-time rate, $17,760 annually, is almost half of the schools mentioned above.
See Tuition, page 2
A new site for dining services has made its way to the Web
Menus: Soon, this Web site will add the daily rotating menu for Dora’s Café. This is Jospeh Barnes’, director of food services, favorite part. “When I put the menus in, you’ll be able to check nutritional value of each entrée,” he said.
See Dining, page 2
What’s new? This new site shows newly-added meal choices. For example, Dora’s Café now lets you make ciabatta sandwiches. Locations: Dora’s Café (the all-you-can-eat establishment), Grille Works, Java City, Bene and the C3 Convenience Store (all in the SUB). Hours are provided for all locations.
Sports
Rams hoops ride winning streak and clinch automatic bid to NAIA National Tournament. Page 5
Entertainment
Before your spring break travels, be sure to participate in the Miss March trivia contest. Page 6